Battery-chute.



C. 40. POOR.

BATTERY CHUTE.

APPLIoATIoN FILED Mu 1a, 190e.

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C.' O. POOR.

BATTERY CHUTE.

'urmornou FILED nu 1a, 1908.

91 6,011 l Patented Mar. 23, 1909.

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ATTORNEYS rus Nanms Ps1-Rs co., wAsHmcroN, u. cA

CHARLES O. POOR, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

BATTERY-CHUTE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 23, 1909.

Application filed May 18, 1908. Serial No. 433,516.

of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Batteryhutes, of which the following is a specification,.refern ence being had therein to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical section of the battery chute showing the battery shelves or elevator in side elevation at the bottom of the chute; Eig. 2 a similar sectional view at right angles to the section shown in Fig. 1, the battery shelves or elevator being raised and locked at the top of the battery chute; Fig. 3 a horizontal sectional. view on the line IIIHHI of Fig. l; and Fig. 4 adetailperspecn tive view of the elevator supporting frame.

In railway signal work gravit f batteries are employed7 and these batteries are placed at suitable points along the tracks to supply the necessary current for the track circuit. To protect the batteries from weather conditions, and particularly from frost, they are placed in battery chutes which extend into the earth below the frost line. The batteries are usually supported in a suitable frame which is adapted to be raised in the chute whenever it is desired to clean the batteries or to renew them. As these battery chutes are usually constructed it is necessary to en tirely remove the battery elevator from them and to prop it up on a level spot on the ground near the chute, or to place it on some level structure, in order that the attendant may be free to work over the batteries. lt is manifest to an one familiar with conditions along a rai road track that it is eX- tremely difficult to ind a suitable place to stand the elevator, and for that reason it is the custom to provide two men who work together on these batteries, one being neces sary to hold the battery elevator when the other works on the batteries. It frequently happens that the battery elevator is overH turned and the battery cells destroyed.

It is one of the main objects of this invention to provide a battery chute wherein the battery elevator or shelves may be raised to the top of the chute and supported there in its upright position While the batteries are being cleaned or renewed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a battery elevator with a suitable supporting frame which will permit the elevator to be raised above the chute while the supporting frame extends down into the chute and supports the elevator in its upright position.

Another object of the invention is to pro- Vde automatic means for locking the battery elevator at the top of the chute when. it has been raised. y

Other important objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Referring to the various parts by numerals, 1 designates the battery chute, which, as shown, is in the forni of a long vertical cylinder, having a closed lower end and an open upper end. This cylinder is buried for practically its entire length and extends into the ground a distance suflicient to permit the battery shelves to be lowered below the frost line. The upper end of this chute is adapted to be closed by the cover 2.

The battery elevator consists of a series of four circulaishelves 3 connected together and supported equal distances from each other by side bars Lil. By reference to Fig. 3 .it will be noted that these side bars are arranged around only ene-half of the shelves, so that the other half is free and unobstructed to permit the battery cells to be placed thereon and to be removed therefrom. top shelf is connected a rope or cable 5 by which the elevator may be raised. The upper end of this elevating means may be supported at the upper end of the chute in any suitable manner, as shown, it is connected to a hook secured to the inner side of the cover.

lithin the battery chute is arranged an elevator supporting frame 6 which consists of a bottom piece 7 and a series of tubular uprights 8. These uprights are positioned substantially to correspond to the positions ot the side pieces fl of the elevator, two of them being at diametrically opposite points on the bottom piece 7 and the other being midway between the first mentioned two and between two adjacent and parallel side pieces 4 of the elevator. This arrangement is necessary in order to leave the lower shelf of the battery elevator' free at one side for the insertion and removal of the battery cell on that shelf. The uprights or standards S are vertically slotted on their inner sides as at 9, and extending through said slots 9 are screws 10,r the heads of said screws being within the standards. These screws enter To the Y the lower shelf 3 and the next shell" above the bottom, as shown clearly in Fig. 2 oi the drawings. The upper ends of the slots 9 are closed as shown in Fig. 4, andthe standards are substantially equal to one half the height of the battei'y elevator, so that the said clc- 1 vator may have a vertical movement indepeiidently of the elevator' support. In rais ing the elevatoi' it will move independently of the supporting 'frame until the screws in the second shelf from the bottoni engage the closed uppei' ends of the slots 9, The elevator and its supporting traine then move upwardly togetl'ier. By this means the supporting frame will extend above the battery chute sufficiently to give a iirin support to the elevator and to maintain it in its up,- i-'ight position. The suppoi'ting trame .will also extend a sufficient distance down in the chute to prevent any material lateral tilting or inclination ot the supporting ltrame and the battery elevator when the bottom shell" ot the elevator is at the top oi' the chute. The edges ol' the elevator shelves, or ot the two lower shelves, are recessed, as shown at 11 of Fig. 3, to receive the standards lt will, ot course, be understood vthat these l recesses may be dispensed with it desired, it Q being only necessary to reduce the diameter l of the shelves to that extent. l

The bottom shelf of the elevator carries means to engage the upper edge ot the chute to support the elevator in its raised position, and consequently to also maintain the elevator supporting frame in its upper position. The means shown in the drawing 'lor sup- 'i porting the elevator operates automatically when the elevator has been raised to the top of the battery chute;` and. it consists of a pivoted latch bar 12 secured to the bottom l of the lower shell of the elevator, one end l thereof, 13, being adapted to swing out ovei' i the top of the chute when the elevator is l raised. Connected to the opposite end oil this latch bar is a coil spring 1,4 which tends l to keep the said bai' in a radial position with respect to the bottom oi the elevator', and l serves toinove said bai' to that position when Said bai' is iree of the chute. l As shown in Fig. 2 the elevator is suppoi'ted l in its raised position by the latch bar 12. l, lhen it kis desired to lowei' the elevator the E, said bar may be released from thechute by l rotating the elevator', oi' by swinging in the l latch bai' in any other manner. When the l elevator is lowered within the chute the latch l 12 bears against the inner side of the chute, as i shown clearly in Fig, 3. To the ybottom of l the lower shelf of the elevator is secured a i cleat 15 which is substantially equal in thick-v l ness to the latch bar and serves to hold the l elevator in a vertical yposition when it is i'esting on the bottom oi" the elevator, and also serves to protect the coil lspring 14. l From the foregoing it will be seen that I l provide simple means Jfor supporting' the battery elevator at the top o'l" the chute and automatically operating means for locking said supporting means when the elevator .is raised to the proper height. lt is im portant that the elevator supporting frame and the elevatoi' telescope one within the other and that they should have a limited movement independently of each other, so that the battery chute need. not be oit any greater length than as used at pi'eseiit. lfn order to maintain the elevator in an upright position when raised, the supporting traine must extend Ya suitable distance above the chute and also a suitable distance down in the chute.

By the use of my invention it will be seen that all ot the diil'iculties and objections to the old style of battery chute are avoided; that the batteries may be elevated and cleaned and repaired thoroughly and expeditiously and without the slightest danger to the batteries or battery connections, by one workman. One of the great objections to the battery chutes as at present employed. is that when the batteries are lifted out of the battery chutes the battery wires are apt to tbecome bent or kinked, and this constant bending and kinking oi' them. soon results in a break. By my invention this danger' is entirely avoided,'while at the same time providing an extremely simple and eilicient apparatus.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isz- 1. A battery chute comprising a chute "lpropei', a battery elevatoi' therein, and

means carried by said elevator' to support it at the top of the chute, said means extending below the lowei' end of' the elevator when. the

` elevator is raised.

2. A battery chute comprising a chute proper, a battery elevator therein, and means carried by the elevator for automatically locking it at the top of the chute when 1 elevator when the elevator is raised to the top ot the chute.

A battery chute comprising a chute proper, van elevator therein, a latch bar carried by the elevator at its lower end, said latch bar being adapted to be swung over the upper end when the elevator is raised to the top of the chute, and a supporting means carried by the elevator and extending down into the chute when the elevator is raised.

4. A battery chute comprising a chute proper, an elevator' therein, a spring actuated latch carried by the elevator near its lower end and adapted to automatically lock the elevator when said elevator is raised to the top oi' the chute, and a supporting means carried by the elevator and extending down l into the chute when the elevator` is raised to the top of the chute. l

5. A battery chute comprising` a chute proper, an elevator therein, an elevator supporting frame connected to the lower end of the elevator and adapted to support the elevator' at the upper end of the chute when the elevator' is raised.

6. A battery chute corrrprising a chute l proper', an elevator therein, an elevator' supporting frame connected. to the elevator' and adapted. to telescope over the lower end thereof and to support the elevator when the elevator is raised to the top of the chute.

7. A battery chute comprising a chute proper, an elevator therein, an elevator supf porting' frame slidably connected to the lower end of the elevator' and adapted, when the elevator is raised, to extend above the chute to support the elevator in an upright position, and means to loch the elevator at the upper end of the chute.

8. A battery chute comprising` a chute proper, an elevator therein provided with battery holding' shelves, an elevator' supportingr frame slidablyconnected to the lower end of said elevator' and adapted to extend into the chute and above the bottom shelf of the elevator when the elevator is raised to the top of the chute, and means to lock the eleva tor in its raised position.

9. A battery chute comprising` a chute proper', an elevator therein provided with battery holding shelves, an elevator supporting frame slidably connected to the lower' end. of the elevator and. consisting' of vertically slotted uprights or standards, means connectingl the'lower end of said standards to l gether, and means connecting said standards to the two lowermost shelves of the elevator, and means for locking` the elevator' in its raised position.

10. A battery chute comprising a chute proper, an elevator therein and a telescoping' supporting frame connected to the elevator, and automatic means for locking' the elevator' at the top of the chute.

11. A battery chute comprising` a chute proper, an elevator therein, a telescoping' supporting` frame connected to the elevator', and a spring' actuated device carried by the elevator and adapted to engage the chute to lock the elevator in its raised position.

12. A battery chute comprising a chute proper', a battery elevator therein, and means to support said elevator at the top of the chute, said means extending down into the chute a suiiieient distance to hold. the elevator in an upright position. above the chute.

13. A battery chute comprising a chute proper', a battery elevator' therein, and means adapted to operate automatically to lock the elevator' at the top ofthe chute when the elevator' is raised, and a supporting means connected to the elevator' and extending above the top of the chute and a sufficient distance down into the chute when the elevator'` is raised to .nraintain the elevator in an upright position.

111-. A battery chute comprising a cylindric al chute proper, a battery elevator freely rotatable therein and. unconnected. with said chute, means carried by said elevator and adapted to be rotated therewith, said means extending below the lower end of the elevator when the elevator' is raised and adapted to support it at the top of the chute.

15. A battery chute comprisingl a chute proper', a battery elevator freely rotatable therein and adapted to be raised and lowered, means carried by the elevator near its lower end for automatically locking it at the top of the chute when said elevator is raised, and means carried by the elevator and rotatable therewith to support the elevator at the top of the chute, said supporting` means extend.- ing' down into the chute when the elevator is raised.

16. A battery chute comprising a chute proper, a battery elevator freely rotatable therein and adapted to be raised and lowered,

A means carried by the elevator near its lower end for automatically locking it at the top of the chute when said elevator' is raised, and means carried by the elevator and rotatable V therewith to support the elevator at the top of t the chute, said. supporting` means extending' down into the chute when the elevator is raised, and also extending up around the elevator' a suitable distance to prevent any accidental displacement of the elevator when it is raised.

In testimony whereof l hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses this 12th day of May 1908.

CHARLES O. POOR.

fitnesses z W. CArRNs, J. B. EVANS. 

